Container



May 15, 1928. 1,669,512

J. E. FITZGERALD CNTAINER Filed July 25. 192? Patented May V15, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT v()l""FglCl:`..

JAMES E. FITZGERALD, 0F YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO, ASSlGN OR T0 THE NILES STEEL UCTS COMPANY, 0F N'ILES, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

PROD- oonTAINEn.

Application led July 25,

This invention relates to a sheet metal container and is an improvement over the construction disclosed in m prior application Serial No. 130,215,l ledv August 19, 1926.

In said prior application, I have provided a container wherein the cover is secured in place by what may be termed a ring seal. The body of the container has a bead at the top and the cover fits down into the top of the container and has a flange overlying the bead, there being an intervening gasket. The cover is then secured in place and sealed against leakage by a sealing ring having separable ends, this ring having an inwardly extending flange which overlies the fiange of the cover and having a continuous downturned flange which, while downward pressure is applied to compress the gasket, is crimped inwardly spaced portions lnwardly at substantially right angles' beneath the bead and leaving intervening uncrimped portions joining the crimped portions.

When vit is desired to open the container, the ends of the sealing'ring are separated and then the sealing ring is stripped 0H. The cover can then be lifted oli and the contents of the container removed.

This container has provedto be satisfactory in most respects but it has the disadvantage that after ythe sealing ring is removed there is no means'for'e'ffectively fastening the cover in place, this being ot' importance when only' a portion of the con-v tents of the container hasA been removed when the container is first opened and when it is desired to protect the .remaining contents of the container against the entrance of foreign matter.

-The present invention contemplates an addition to the structure of my prior applicaytion which makes it possible to close and at least partially seal the container head after the'sealing ring has been stripped off and the container once "opened,

The invention may be brieiy summarized as consisting in certain novel combinations and arrangements of parts which `will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1 'is a side elevation of a container embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary at intervals, bending 1927. serial No. 208,095.

sectional view substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig.- 1; Fig. 3 is a simil-ar view substantially along the line 3-3 of' Fig. l and Fig. 6; Fig. 4 is a similar view substantially along the line 4-4 of' Fig. 6; Fig. 5 is a similar view substantially along the line 5 5 of Fig. 1; Fig. 6is a top plan view of the container; F ig. 7 is an inverted view of the cover proper showing the tongues which are added in accordance with the present invention; Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the cover; and Fig. 9 is a view showing the top portion ofl the container, illustrating how the cover may be fastened in place to form a partial seal when the sealing ring has been strippedo and the container once opened.

The container 10 is provided at the top with a ybead 11. The cover 12 has a recessed portion which fits down inside the bead and itv has a laterally projecting horizontal flange 13 which is adapted to project over the bead, there being provided between this flange of the cover and the bead a asket 14.

When the container is filled an is ready for shipment, the cover is placed in position and it is then secured in place and sealed against leakage by a sealing ring 15 which, by means of a closing tool, is crimped inwardly under the bead 11, the cover and sealing ring being pressed downward so as` to tightly compress the gasket 14 in the cloning operation. ,This sealing ring has an inwardly extending flange which overliesl the flange 13 of the cover,land it has'a continuous downwardly extending flange which in the closing operation is crimped inwardly at intervals beneath the bead,'as shown at 15, leaving intervening nncriinpedy portions, shown at 15b. When the portions 15 are crimped inwardly, they extend well under the bead to the body portion of the container, being bent inwardly at substantially right angles, and the uncrimped portions are 4at' the same time slightly curved and drawn inwardly, particularly where they join the crimped portions, forming the equivalent of arches or trusses which joinl the crimped portions, thus adding considerable strength to the top portion of the container. -4

The sealing ring has separable ends normally fastened together by spot welding, soldering, or otherwise, and when it is desired to vopen the container, the ends of the ring are separated, after which it can be readily stripped oft` the container,.allowing the cover to be removed.

The container as so far described is substantially that constituting the subject matter of my prior application.

It is frequently ,the case that when this container is, first opened, only a portion of the contents is removed, in which event it is desirable. thatl the container be effectively closed against the entrance of dirt and otherL answer the requirements, but in this instance three of them are shown, these being preferably equally spaced.- When the cover 1s a plied, these tongues extend down just outsldeof the bead 11 andthe sealing ring is made just large enough so that the outer downturned flange thereof will fit down tightly over these tongues. It is not material whether lin the closing operation all of 'the tongues 16 are bent inwardly under 'the bead 11' but generally one'of the tongues is bent inwardly as indicated in Fig. 4, Iin which event the other two occur opposite or in line with the uncrimped portions, as indicated in Fig. 3. v

In removing the cover, the sealing ring is stripped ofl' in the usual manner and the cover canv be then pried off, in which event the inwardly bent tongue 16 can act as al hinge to enable the cover to be swung back off the top of the container. Therefore, when one of the tongues is bent `inwardly'in the closing operation, the advantage just stated is attained. In some instances, two or all three of the tongues will, in the closingoperation, be bent inwardly under the bead of the' container, in which case the tongues assist in holding the cover in lace and sealing it', but to remove the cover 1t is necessary to straighten out two of the tongues before the cover can be removed. This, however, has

no distinct disadvantage as the tongues can be straightened readily by a suitable tool.

l/Vhen it is desired to restore the cover, it is placed in position in the usual manner, and while the cover is being pressed down so as to compress the gasket, the tongues will be bent inwardly by a suitable tool, such as a hammer in which event thecover will be held in place and will' be wholly or partially sealed although, of course, not as effectively as originally.

It will be obvious that the number and spacing of the tongues may be varied as desired, and While I prefer, in the closing operation, to crimp under the bead spaced portions only of the downturned flange ofv having marginal tongues adapted to projectV down outside of the bead, and a sealing ring adapted to overlie the marginal portion` of the cover,` and to project-down around the bead and the tongues and to be bent inwardly under the bead.

` 2. A container having a bead at the top, a cover having a depressed portion adapted to be'inserted inside the top of the container and having a marginal flange projecting over thebead, there being a gasket 'between said vflange and the bead and said flange having at its margin a plurality of spaced tongues which project down alongside and beneath the bead, and a sealing rino having ahorlzontal flange overlying the ange of the cover and having a downturned flange e fitted around the bead and said tongues and ludaated to be bent inwardly beneath the Iii-.testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature.

' JAMES E. FITZGERALD. 

